It’s not for want of trying - but we don’t have the room.
Comment on Tories took £291,000 from airports lobbying for expansion
tal@kbin.social 1 year ago
Heathrow
googles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathrow_Airport
In 2022, it was the second-busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic and the second busiest airport in Europe.
As the required length for runways has grown, Heathrow now has only two parallel runways running east-west.
https://nats.aero/blog/2021/11/3-2-1-now-the-story-behind-heathrows-parallel-runway-take-off/
Heathrow’s runways are ‘only’ 1,414 metres apart, which is too close to be able to do parallel departures outside of very specific weather and visual conditions.
I'm kind of surprised that Heathrow hasn't been expanded already.
FatLegTed@feddit.uk 1 year ago
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 1 year ago
It is surrounded by neighborhoods that don’t want any expansion due to noise. The problem is that there isn’t any good place to put a new airport except for the Thames Estuary, but that is going to be expensive, impact tidal wetlands, and require additional transit connections to London.
buzziebee@lemmy.world 1 year ago
They should just get it built. This NIMBYism combined with a leak of investment under the Tories is why things only seem to be getting worse in the UK. I lived next to a pub/club, I didn’t complain about the noise.
mannycalavera@feddit.uk 1 year ago
You’re clearly not boomer generationing correctly.
FatLegTed@feddit.uk 1 year ago
Not remotely the same as living next to an airport.
tal@kbin.social 1 year ago
Hmm. Yeah, I see. WP says that everyone inland blocks airport construction or expansion near them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Estuary_Airport
The Thames Hub Airport proposal was submitted to >the UK's Airports Commission by Foster+Partners in July 2013 as a proposed solution to the question of how the UK can maintain its global hub status. The future remained unclear as the option was not on the Commission's original short list, but was still considered. It was finally rejected on grounds of cost (possibly as high as £100 billion) and environmental damage by the Airports Commission in an announcement made on 2 September 2014, leaving Gatwick and Heathrow as the remaining options.